Intercultural Communication Skills for Career Success

Special offer for students and future professionals from India

BAMIK's Indian-German Training Camp combines state-of-the-art academic research with practical applications in a 5-day course at our headquarters in Berlin. Through this course, you will develop the intercultural communication skills that are necessary for success in many careers. These skills will enable you to set yourself apart from your colleagues and develop a reputation for clear communication and intercultural competence.

Whatever your field of study, you will most likely interact with people from other cultures during your career. Whether these people are your superiors, colleagues, business contacts, or customers, you will need to show that you are skilled in intercultural communication. BAMIK's course prepares future professionals from India to develop these skills.

Communicating with people from other cultures is challenging. Even if you speak the same language, you still might not understand the other person. Meaning can be lost because of different underlying values and assumptions. Even little details can carry vastly different meanings. For example, how close to the other person should I stand? How loud should I speak? What gestures are okay? What about eye contact? How direct can I be without offending the other person?

It’s no longer enough just to develop the core knowledge in your chosen field; you also need to be able to communicate this knowledge to anyone, regardless of their background.

BAMIK’s 5-day course on intercultural communication will enable you to build the skills necessary for success. You will learn how underlying differences among cultures shape communication styles and use this knowledge to build intercultural competence, which will benefit you in your future career!

How will this course benefit my career?

The knowledge and intercultural communication skills that participants gain on this course is not restricted to one specific industry; rather, they will enable all participants to benefit their career, regardless of their chosen field. This is because communication with people from other cultures is such a central part of contemporary professional life.

• By studying cultural perception, participants will understand how this affects how we see ourselves and people from other cultures. Our cultural perceptions cause us to form stereotypes of others, which limits how we understand and interact with these people. Recognizing these enables us to better communicate with those around us. This has a dual benefit in professional environments, it means that others see us as capable of clear and appropriate communication. Secondly, it enables us to avoid misunderstandings caused by our assumptions. Avoiding these misunderstandings is vital to sustained success in all areas of your career.
• People from different cultures have different understandings and attitudes toward hierarchies, individualism, and how much ambiguity should be tolerated. Because of this, it can be difficult to strike the right tone when interacting and communicating with others. Something that might seem completely appropriate to you might be deemed inappropriate or unprofessional by someone else. For example, do you refer to a superior by his or her first name, title, or surname? Is teamwork or individual initiative preferred? How much detail are you required to give in meetings or status reports? These little misunderstandings in how to act and speak can soon add up and cause much larger problems. Navigating these will set you apart as a confident and skilled communicator and will also ensure that you and others share the same understanding of a situation; the information provided here will enable you to do exactly that.
• To overcome misunderstandings, you might think that directness and bluntness would be the best strategy. However, while this is appreciated in many cultures, in others, this can cause offence and feedback can be taken as personal criticism. We will teach you a culturally-sensitive approach to ensuring you are understood and understanding others.
• Many employers now require their employees to work overseas, whether on a short- or long-term basis. Regardless of the length of the overseas deployment (from weeks to years), adjusting to working in a new environment can be immensely stressful. Culture shock is a very real phenomenon that can have a major impact on your mental health and ability to work. Trouble acculturating to new situations like this can affect you in both your personal and professional life. This course teaches you strategies to minimize the effect of culture shock, which means that you will be happier, more productive, and more effective in your job.

Agenda

Day 1: Introduction to cultural perception

• What is culture and why is it important?
• What are people’s hidden assumptions and how do these affect company culture?
• How do stereotypes affect how I perceive and understand my colleagues?

Day 2: Comparing national cultures I

• Hierarchies in business – how should I interact with those above and below me?
• The individual and the group – is teamwork or individual initiative preferred?
• How comfortable are different people with ambiguous situations, and how does this affect how they work and communicate?

Day 3: Comparing national cultures II

• What is appropriate level of interpersonal distance in professional settings?
• What attitudes to employers and colleagues have regarding work–life balance? Is there a separation between work and private life?
• Can I deal with personal matters at work and how many things should I be doing at once?
• How direct and indirect should I be in communication, and how can I tell how direct others are being with me? How do I know how to react to different statements?

Day 4: Living and working in intercultural situations

• Intercultural competence – what is it and how will it help my career?
• Culture shock – how can I minimize this when working abroad?
• Acculturation – how will this help me when working abroad?

Day 5: Conclusion

• Case studies – analyzing scenarios and developing real-word strategies for success
• Presentations
• Presentation of certificates

All-inclusive package

• Hotel accommodation for 6 nights
• All meals Monday - Friday
• 35-hour training course
• Course materials
• Certificate

Frequently asked questions

Below, please find the answers to the most frequently asked questions about the Intercultural Communication for Future Professionals from India course. Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us!

What are the requirements for participation?

This course is conducted in English. Therefore participants should have a good level of spoken English. Participants should also be current students of an Indian university.

What is included in this package?

This package includes everything to make your stay in Germany as comfortable and productive as possible. This includes the hotel, three meals per day (Monday – Friday), a one-week travel pass, all course materials, and your certificate!

Are flights included?

For scheduling reasons, flights are not included in the package. Please arrange your own flights to arrive in Berlin the day before and leave the day after the course ends. Aside from the flights, all other necessities are included, as listed above.

What is BAMIK?

BAMIK is a Berlin-based leading course provider and consultancy for global leadership development, intercultural management, diversity & inclusion, and train-the-trainer programs. We have successfully trained hundreds of trainers, company employees, and students since 2009. You can read more about BAMIK here, about company Director Wolfgang Jockusch here, and about trainer and consultant Andrew Stow here.

How many places are available?

To ensure that we can give you the highest-quality training and to promote good teamwork, the course size is limited to 20 participants.

What is the deadline for signing up?

The deadline is 2 weeks before the course start date.

How do I register?

To sign up for the course, please visit our webform here.